Those Indian Fakers

Hindu magic: an expose of the tricks of the yogis and fakirs of India by Hereward Carrington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Those fakers in India can the really do magic? Depends whAt you call magic. Is it sleight if hand, getting results or consiousness . The author wrote this 50 page plus pamphlet / book on how these fakers do their magic. More like stage magic.

The publication was written during the British occupation of India. The author himself is part Indian .

Such tricks discussed would be making a mango tree grow from a seed, charming snakes, live burials, 7 day sleeps and climbing into the sky on a rope.

In India a fakir will take a mound of earth and place a seed in it. Within minutes a mango tree grows. The trick only works with mango trees that can be folded into second seed which then expands when massaged.

Or when a boy goes into a basket and disappears . The fakir pokes a sword through the basket . The boy moved around .

Or the diving duck that has a hair attached to it to make it dive upon will.the ground around the pot is moistened to hide the leaking water.

7 day hypnotic trances are accomplished by a semi hypnotic trance but the patient is fed and drunk clandestinely.
Burial much the same way but with a tunnel going to a dead tree. Then when they are ready to dig up the subject he crawls back in.

Snakes are defanged and fed milk which makes them kind if buzzed . Easier to charm.

Despite common myth no one can climb on a rope and fade away into the sky .

Neat little book that explains away the magic trick and let's you know that these magicians have no occult powers.

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